


Size Matters

by Anyawen



Series: Technomage [5]
Category: James Bond (Craig movies)
Genre: 007 Fest 2020, Don't copy to another site, M/M, Q's cats - Freeform, banter and flirting, bond knows how to cook, further discussions of magic, team00
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:28:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25398412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anyawen/pseuds/Anyawen
Summary: There are reasons why Q prefers to work small magics.
Relationships: James Bond/Q, Pre-00Q - Relationship
Series: Technomage [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1779154
Comments: 2
Kudos: 50





	Size Matters

"Why do you work such small magics?" Bond asked as he plated the lasagne he'd made for their dinner. He moved about Q's kitchen with an easy familiarity, dodging the cats eeling about his feet hoping for dropped scraps. He glanced at Q as the boffin opened a bottle of wine. "You could do bigger things, I'm sure of it."

"Oh, I definitely could," Q agreed, pouring the straw-colored wine. "But larger magics are less stable. They're fragile, I suppose. Brittle, where smaller spells are more resilient. Sturdier, and far more versatile."

Q paused to sip at the wine, giving a pleased hum and moving out of the way as James brought their plates to the table, then accepted the wine Q handed him.

"That looks delicious," Q said, sliding a hand across James' hip as he moved to take his seat. "Thank you."

"My pleasure," James replied, his smile growing when Q took a bite and groaned in satisfaction.

"I may have to kidnap you away from MI6 and keep you chained up in the kitchen," Q said.

"My domestic talents extend beyond the kitchen," James noted, his voice lowered seductively.

"Oh, marvelous - my office could use a good hoovering," Q answered, eyes dancing with mischief.

Bond chuckled, and they continued to banter lightly over dinner.

When they'd finished eating, Q sat back in his chair, swirling the wine in his glass, and returned to their prior topic of conversation, his tone somber.

"They're harder to hide, as well - the larger magics. You only noticed my spellwork because you knew what you were looking at. I wouldn't be able to hide larger spells in the margins, in the details. Everyone would know."

"Your status as a technomage would be common knowledge," James said with a frown. "You'd be even more of a target than you are as Quartermaster."

"Perhaps," Q agreed carelessly. "But I'm more worried that agents would come to rely on magic. That you'd become even more reckless, putting yourself at risk thinking magic would salvage every situation. It won't. It can't. If you— I can't—"

Q's voice had become strained as he spoke, the idea of losing agents —of losing James— because of a failure of his magic clearly upsetting him.

James held Q's gaze and reached a hand across the table. After a minute Q slid his hand into Bond's and laced their fingers together.

**Author's Note:**

> Word count per wordcounter.io is 400.


End file.
